Friday, June 30, 2017

"He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him alsofreely give us all things?" (Romans 8:32).

"Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that arefreely given to us of God" (I Corinthians 2:12).

"His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue" (II Peter 1:3).

The heart of the innumerable "freely given" blessings provided by God in the Lord Jesus Christ is Himself. "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?" (I Corinthians 3:16). The Holy Spirit inhabited us when we trusted in Christ, thus providing the living and literal presence of God as the "unspeakable gift" of the most undeserved grace. "I will dwell in them and walk in them" (II Corinthians 6:16).

Our Heavenly Father created us to serve as the "habitation of God through the Spirit" (Ephesians 2:22). Sin made this an impossibility until the Lord Jesus Christ died and rose again to grant pardon and newness of life to all who believe. The experience of God's wrath and abandonment by the Lord Jesus on the cross - "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?" purchased the eternally abiding presence of God in our hearts - "I will never leave thee nor forsake thee" (Matthew 27:46; Hebrews 13:5). Nothing we can conceive compares with so wondrous a gift, freely given to us, but secured by a price beyond all imagining (II Corinthians 9:15). At Calvary, the heart of Christ was emptied of His Father and the Holy Spirit's loving presence in order that our hearts might be forever filled with the grace of not merely God's good gifts, but of the Giver Himself. "I have declared unto them Thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith Thou hast loved Me may be in them, and I in them" (John 17:26).

We presently experience the magnitude of such freely given favor in limited fashion. "We see through a glass, darkly." One day, however, we will see our Lord "face to face." In that moment, we shall "know even as we are known" (I Corinthians 13:12). The Gift will be far more realized, and then eternity will impart to us the ever growing experience of "Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27). Presently, "we walk by faith, not by sight" as we trust in the truth of the indwelling presence of God Himself (II Corinthians 5:7). We often don't feel it, the gift sometimes seems to be absent, and we may not live as if our Lord abides within us. He does, however, if we have been born of the Holy Spirit through faith in the Lord Jesus. The freely given presence of God abides, regardless of our awareness or experience. Thus we seek to know our Lord better and better in order to avail ourselves more and more of a grace that defies comprehension. Again, through Christ, God gave to us Himself when we believed. No other bestowal compares, and no other realization more equips us to live in accordance with our Heavenly Father's grace and truth "freely given" and "freely received."

"Because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying Abba Father."

(Galatians 4:6)

Weekly Memory Verse

Even a fool, when he holdethhis peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding.

Thursday, June 29, 2017

"He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him alsofreely give us all things?" (Romans 8:32).

"Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that arefreely given to us of God" (I Corinthians 2:12).

"His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue" (II Peter 1:3).

If the maintenance of our relationship and fellowship with God depended on ourselves, the bond would be soon broken. Thankfully, the God who begins our life with Him freely and persistently maintains it, and calls us to the same response of faith in our walk with Him as we exercised in our spiritual birth.

"Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ" (Philippians 1:6).

"As ye have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him" (Colossians 2:6).

Just as we would never have approached the Lord apart from His convincing and convicting work of the Holy Spirit, so do we require His ongoing working in us "both to will and to do of His good pleasure" (Philippians 2:13). We have a vital role in the matter, with the capacity to respond to God woven deeply into our innermost being. "The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith" (Romans 10:8). We nevertheless require the Spirit of God to move upon the face of the waters, as it were, if we are to begin and continue in fellowship with God. He continually and perfectly fulfills His role. "Faithful is He that calleth you, who alsowill do it" (I Thessalonians 5:24). The more knowledgable and confident we become in God's loving desire for our fellowship, the more we will avail ourselves of the freely provided gift, including the fruits of faith and faithfulness that abound in us as we discover God's trustworthy working. "Beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, we are changed into the same image, from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord" (II Corinthians 3:18).

Our faithfulness is always the fruit of God's faithfulness, first bestowed, then revealed, and finally received and assimilated by us as we trust and submit to our Heavenly Father. He fulfills His role continually and forever. This is our hope, a certain hope, and this is the dynamic Truth whereby we find ourselves more and more desiring fellowship with the wondrous and generous Lord who gave to us so great a gift, and who secures it within our hearts by the indwelling and persistent Holy Spirit…

"Christ, in whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of His glory."

(Ephesians 1:12-14).

Weekly Memory Verse

Even a fool, when he holdethhis peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding.

Wednesday, June 28, 2017

"He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him alsofreely give us all things?" (Romans 8:32).

"Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that arefreely given to us of God" (I Corinthians 2:12).

"His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue" (II Peter 1:3).

"Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom also we have access by faith into this grace where we stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of God" (Romans 5:1-2).

We exist for loving relationship and fellowship with other conscious beings, beginning with God, and then proceeding to people. The entrance of sin into the world brought alienation between the Lord and those created in His image for the purpose of a life lived together. Adam and Eve hid in the trees from God, and sewed fig leaves to hide themselves from each other. This is the default position of humanity. The desire for relationship is intrinsically woven into our very being. Sin's spiritual and moral damage, however, greatly complicates our exercise and application of the capacity. This is especially true regarding God, to the degree that any apparent seeking of Him in our lost condition actually involves the desire for His benefits rather than Himself. "There is none that seeketh after God" (Romans 3:11).

If relationship with God is to occur, He must seek us. And He does, even as the Lord Jesus Christ declared, "The Son of man is come to seek and to save that which is lost" (Luke 19:10). Just as the Lord came looking for Adam after the fall - "Where art thou?" - so He comes looking for us in our lost estate (Genesis 3:9). He desires to freely grant pardon, peace, and ensuing relationship with us through the Lord Jesus, and by the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit. "This is life eternal, that they might know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent" (John 17:3). We do nothing to enter into the bond of love and fellowship, except receive the freely given grace offered. "To as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name" (John 1:12). Thereafter, the possibility of loving and living fellowship with God presents itself to us at all times, in all places, and in all circumstances. "Christ Jesus our Lord... in whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of Him" (Ephesians 3:11-12).

God so desires loving fellowship with us that He gave His Son to a cross of unimagined sorrow, loss, pain, forsakenness and death in order to freely give the relationship with Him we could never purchase. The largesse of the gift is also ongoing. We never earn our way to the Throne, as it were. Walking with God involved a gift continually given, and a gift continually received by those who come through Christ, as enabled by the Holy Spirit. Such realization increasingly amazes the supplicant who comes by way of the Blood-stained path that leads the Throne of God. In the light of such grace, we realize that our Heavenly Father desires fellowship with us far more than we desire fellowship with Him. He made the gift free - "freely given… freely received" - to institute and eternally secure the holy bond. We do well to realize the magnitude of such grace in this moment, and to join the Psalmist in his grateful determination to avail himself of the gift, the gift of fellowship with the Life of our lives…

"Open to me the gates of righteousness:I will go into them, and I will praise the LORD"

(Psalm 118:19)

Weekly Memory Verse

Even a fool, when he holdethhis peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding.

Tuesday, June 27, 2017

"He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him alsofreely give us all things?" (Romans 8:32).

"Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that arefreely given to us of God" (I Corinthians 2:12).

"His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue" (II Peter 1:3).

God's freely given gifts in the Lord Jesus Christ begin with forgiveness. Until He pardons our sins, the other aspects of His saving grace cannot be imparted by Him, or realized by us.

"Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this Man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins" (Acts 13:38).

God cannot simply accept sinners by the determination of His heart, or the mere pronouncement of pardon. Iniquity is far too serious and intrinsic a matter for exoneration by decree. There must be spiritual and moral consequences for every action according to God's standard of righteousness. "Your iniquities have separated between you and your God" (Isaiah 59:2). The chasm between God and humanity presents an unnavigable passage, even as suffering Job realized in one of the most illuminating doctrinal passages of the Old Testament: "For He is not a man, as I am, that I should answer Him, and we should come together in judgment. Neither is there any daysman (mediator; arbiter) betwixt us, that might lay his hand upon us both" (Job 9:32-33). Job recognized the gulf between himself and God, and even more, he realized that a go-between must somehow act on behalf of God's standard and human need if ever Perfection might receive imperfection without itself being morally compromised.

Thankfully Job's despairing cry no longer applies to the relationship between the Divine and the human. "There is one God, and one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus" (I Timothy 2:5). God is now a man, in the Person of His Son. He lays His nail-pierced hands upon upon His Father and the sinner who believes, having fulfilled all righteousness by suffering the consequences of our sins, and by freely imputing the benefits thereof to the trusting heart. As the old saying declares, "To create, God spoke; to redeem, He bled." The chasm must be spanned before relationship between God and man can begin. Sin must be forgiven by God's justice preserved, and humanity's guilt purged. Only the God who became man, and the man who remains God can accomplish this wondrous feat of grace, as received by faith. We "come together in judgment" by the Father declaring that we can come to Him through the Blood-stained way of His Son, and by our agreeing that Christ is indeed "the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6). Forgiveness first, freely given and freely received - such grace begins and seals our relationship with God, as made possible by our Daysman, our Mediator, our Advocate, and our Intercessor, the Lord Jesus Christ.

"Jesus Christ… in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace."

(Ephesians 1:5; 7)

"Come now, andlet us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool."

(Isaiah 1:18)

Part 3 Tomorrow - Freely given relationship

Weekly Memory Verse

Even a fool, when he holdethhis peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding.

Monday, June 26, 2017

"He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him alsofreely give us all things?" (Romans 8:32).

"Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that arefreely given to us of God" (I Corinthians 2:12).

"His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue" (II Peter 1:3).

The Lord Jesus Christ and the Apostles Paul and Peter unite to bear witness and testimony to the freest gift ever given, purchased by the highest cost ever remitted. Unto all who believe in the Lord Jesus, God grants "without price" pardon for sin, spiritual birth, assurance of eternal life, and the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 55:1). We could never begin to purchase such a bestowal of "unsearchable riches." God therefore justifies and ultimately glorifies all who receive the freest gift, purchased by the highest cost.

"Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot" (I Peter 1:18-19).

God created the human race as dependent beings, formed to receive His life in innumerable ways. We were then to serve as steward sons and daughters who utilize and apply His gifts for the glory of the Lord Jesus and the fulfillment of His will. Before He created Adam and Eve, the Lord had already prepared the earth as their home, the sun, moon, and stars as their guides, plants as their food, and fish, birds, and animals as the subjects of their calling to exercise dominion (Genesis 1). They did nothing to earn such provision. Indeed, Adam and Eve did not even exist when God made His preparations for humanity. The first man and woman were created and ushered into the abundant provision of God, and would have freely known such goodness had sin not entered their hearts. The devil deceived our original forefathers into believing they must work for their sustenance rather than trust - "Ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil" (Genesis 3:5). Gods, by definition, rely on themselves. This is Satan's own personal darkness, and he infected humanity with the poison through the first man's fall - "in Adam, all die" (I Corinthians 15:22).

God's redemption in Christ restores those who believe to their proper role as dependent sons and daughters who receive and then steward His good gifts by the wisdom, leading, and enabling of His immanent presence. Our Christian life begins with the reception of a freely given gift. Our Heavenly Father then calls us to proceed accordingly - "as ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him" (Colossians 2:6). Thus, we live our lives as the recipients of God's gracious goodness in all things. We respond, receive, work, and act. But we do so in the recognition of our Heavenly Father's universal provision of "life and breath and all things" (Acts 17:25). We work for Him by working from Him. This does not eliminate the sweat of the brow in our present existence, nor do we live without many challenges. However, believing the truth of all things "freely given" progressively transforms our perspective and attitude. The Christ who redeemed us lives in us, and also constitutes the spiritual environment in which we "live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:25). The more we know and understand this definitively declared Biblical truth, the more we will experience the blessed reality of God's ongoing giving, and our ongoing receiving and application of His grace in the Lord Jesus…

"But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom areall things, and we in Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom areall things, and we by Him."

(I Corinthians 8:6)

Part 2 Tomorrow - Forgiveness, Freely Given

Weekly Memory Verse

Even a fool, when he holdethhis peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding.

Saturday, June 24, 2017

(Friends: Most Saturdays for the duration of this year, I plan on sharing a message that relates to the character and nature of God, and our response thereunto. I hope you will find it helpful, and as always, thanks for allowing us to send the devotionals to you. Glen).

The Saturday Series - 20

"The Hope of Glory, the Hope of Goodness"

We find the most direct Biblical definition of God's glory in the episode of Moses requesting to see this aspect of his Lord's reality.

"And he said, I beseech Thee, show me Thy glory. And He said, I will make all My goodness pass before thee" (Exodus 33:18-19).

The Lord clearly equates glory with goodness. This identifies glory first as a character quality of God. He is glorious because He is good. He shines forth His glory as the fruit of His goodness. We are to glorify Him for the primary purpose of revealing the truth that "the Lord is good" (Psalm 100:5). Thus, to think of God's glory in its primary meaning directs us to the essence of who and what He is. This raises the question: what does Scripture mean when it declares that God is good?

Again, we find a beautiful ray of light in Moses' request and his subsequent experience of God's glory unveiled. "And it shall come to pass, while My glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift (crevice) of the rock, and will cover thee with My hand while I pass by: and I will take away Mine hand, and thou shalt see My back parts: but My face shall not be seen" (Exodus 33:22-23). Herein we see a beautiful foreshadowing of the Lord Jesus Christ, whose saving grace makes possible our relating to God despite the vast spiritual and moral gulf that exists between His character and ours.

"Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God" (Romans 5:1-2).

Apart from the Lord Jesus, God's goodness would condemn us rather than give us "hope of the glory of God." True Goodness, if it created and sustains all things, could not relate to those dominated by the self-centered evil of sin. "Your iniquitieshave separated between you and your God" (Isaiah 59:2). A way must therefore be made whereby the gulf can be spanned and whereby God can relate to sinners without violating His holy character and nature. We must be hidden in the crevice of a rock, as it were. And we are, if we have believed in the Lord Jesus: "Ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God" (Colossians 3:3). Through Christ, the glory of God can be known in a redeeming rather than destructive wonder of goodness. Moreover, our Lord institutes a process of change when we believe, conforming us more and more to the spiritual and moral image of God by His presence within us: "Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27). We are hidden and made holy by the Lord Jesus, and by the Holy Spirit's working in us to transform us into the growing goodness of Christlikeness.

In His goodness, God exists in the perfectly unselfish purity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He greatly desires relationship with human beings, but again, He cannot violate His moral nature in so doing. Nor can we relate to Him directly without being destroyed. Thus, as the hymnwriter so beautifully expressed, "Rock of ages, cleft for me. Let me hide myself in Thee." This is the Gospel of God's grace in the Lord Jesus, and the most beautiful revelation of His indescribable goodness. He hides us in Christ in order to have living and loving fellowship with us through Christ. Nothing more reveals the truth of His wondrous character, and nothing else will fill and fulfill our hearts with the hope of glory and the expectation of God's goodness.

"Christ Jesus: whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; to declare, I say, at this time His righteousness: that He might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus."

(Romans 3:24-26)

"There is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus."

(I Timothy 2:5)

Weekly Memory Verse

For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.

Friday, June 23, 2017

It is not required that we feel our faith, as it were. The Apostle Paul referenced this truth in his testimony to the Corinthians.

"We are perplexed, but not in despair" (II Corinthians 4:8).

Emotionally, Paul felt what we all feel at times, namely, confusion and doubt. By the power of God's indwelling Holy Spirit, however, the Apostle's conviction remained - "not in despair." In a life lived amid the world, the flesh, and the devil, believers will often experience conflicting sensibilities even as we trust God. "The flesh lusteth against the spirit" (Galatians 5:17). Few lessons regarding our walk with the Lord are more important. If we wait until emotional and physical sensations perfectly unite with our spiritual confidence in order to consistently live by faith, we shall wait a very long time. We will be required to "fight the good fight of faith" as long as we live in the world as presently constituted (I Timothy 6:12). Not one godly human being, including the Lord Jesus Christ, has ever experienced the complete absence of temptation that may include feelings of hesitation regarding the will of God. "And He went a little further, and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, O My Father,if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me: nevertheless not as I will, but as Thou wilt" (Matthew 26:39). Our blessed Lord felt the challenge - "tempted in all points like as we are" - but as He always did, He overcame by faith and submission to His Father - yet without sin" (Hebrews 4:15).

Feelings can reflect problems in our walk with God. But not always. Sometimes we are nearest to the Throne when emotions would tell us that God is far from us, and we are far from Him. We do well to keep an open heart to the possibility of the need for correction when we feel perplexity. But we also do well to realize that our humanity has not yet been glorified. There will be many occasions when feel is not real, so to speak. Recall the two sons commanded by their father to work in his vineyard. The first said no, but later realized his truest privilege and responsibility involved obedience to his father (Matthew 21:28-31). The Lord Jesus affirmed the young man as having "done the will of his father" despite his initial reticence. Walking with God by faith often involves such the process of fighting "the good fight." We must overcome how we feel in order to "walk in the Spirit and... not fulfill the lusts of the flesh" (Galatians 5:16).

The Day will come when no fight will be necessary. This is not that day. Presently, we walk by a faith that often conflicts with our human sensibilities. We must expect the challenge, learning to make choices of the heart that counter and overcome the feelings of our flesh. Again, it not required that we feel our faith, nor are feelings always the reflection of our heart's determination. Few lessons of the Spirit more set our feet firmly on the path of righteousness, thus providing the enabling to overcome as we access God's grace revealed by faith.

"As sorrowful, yet always rejoicing."

(II Corinthians 6:10)

Weekly Memory Verse

For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.

Thursday, June 22, 2017

This past weekend, Frances and I rejoiced with our dear friends the Wheeler family during the wedding festivities of their daughter Brittany (a.k.a. - Supergirl) and her new husband Bembe. We met the Wheelers through these devotionals, and communicated by email for nearly 15 years before meeting face to face in 2014. We consider our fellowship and friendship with them one of the great blessings of our lives, and the weekend provided opportunity to meet many other family members and friends through whom we were also immeasurably blessed.

After we returned home, I sent a thank you email to Bryan and Peggy for the time, effort, and expense they expended to make the weekend so wonderful for everyone involved. Included in the note was this line: "So thanks again, and know that you made special memories for all of us, and special opportunities to thank the Lord over and over again." This was absolutely the case, and reminds me of a truth I've often shared in these messages, namely, that blessed recollections can become far more than memories. They also serve as altars for praise and thanksgiving of the God from Whom "every good gift and every perfect gift" flows to us (James 1:17). Regardless of the conduit or vessel through which blessings come to us, our Lord always serves as the Source. How He must love us to be so continually generous and gracious as He gives and gives and gives again. How much He does love us! And how much opportunity our memories provide to praise and thank Him!

More than memories. When we exercise the blessed gift of our capacity for gratitude, we discover what A.W. Tozer meant when he wrote, "Thanksgiving is the sweetener of the soul." Merely recalling blessings leaves the experience incomplete. We should press on to consciously and decisively say "Thank You" to the Giver of "life and breath and all things" (Acts 17:25). This can involve gifts just given and received, or bestowals of grace from years or even decades past. Solomon declared that "the prayer of the upright is His delight" (Proverbs 15:8). Surely our offerings of thanksgiving must especially bless the Heart so worthy of being blessed. And surely such offerings bless our own hearts with a sweetness that graces and enhances our walk with God and with people.

The atmosphere of heart fostered by such Christ-inspired gratitude excludes bitterness and despair. Indeed, when we recall that every good and perfect gift provided by our Heavenly Father comes to us through the price of His Son's precious Blood, the soul-sweetening response of gratitude ensues. God's good and undeserved gifts transform recollections into something far more than memories. This past weekend with the Wheelers, along with their family and friends, certainly provided such opportunity. As I remember the moments of God's good grace bestowed one after another, I will seek to do more, far more, than simply remember…

"Unto thee, O God, do we give thanks, unto Thee do we give thanks: for that Thy name is near Thy wondrous works declare."

(Psalm 75:1)

Weekly Memory Verse

For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.

Wednesday, June 21, 2017

A friend recently made the point that when people say they avoid church "because there's too many hypocrites there," they actually reveal their misunderstanding of the reason to gather with Christians for fellowship, mutual ministry, and time together with the Lord and His Word. "Well, the Lord Jesus Christ is there" responds my friend to such folks. "And He's not a hypocrite!"

Exactly. If our primary reason for attending church involves other people, we're missing the point. We come together with brothers and sisters in Christ to seek Him together in ways we cannot accomplish by ourselves.

"Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone; in whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto a holy temple in the Lord, in whom ye also are builded together for a habitation of God through the Spirit" (Ephesians 2:19-22).

We gather around "the chief Cornerstone" rather than around each other. Certainly we rejoice in the presence of one another, and we greatly benefit each other as we pray, study, sing, and enjoy the presence of other believers. However, our Lord's presence in the midst of His people transcends all, accounting for the primary reason for attending Christian gatherings of any type or variety. Such emphasis helps us to better enjoy the strengths of fellow Christians, and also extend mercy toward weaknesses. Indeed, it is sad to think of the many Christians who have unnecessarily wandered from the flock because some fellow sheep offended by commission or omission, or by the aforementioned hypocrisy. If the Chief Cornerstone and the Chief Shepherd serves as our reason for gathering, such drifting from the flock can almost always be avoided.

Perhaps most importantly, if a mirror happens to grace our gathering place for fellowship with believers, we do well to look into it and acknowledge, "Why yes, there is at least one hypocrite in this place!" We all have acted in ways false to our profession of Christ. We seek to avoid such dissimulation by the power of God's Spirit, and no excuses exist for any occasion when our life does not match our testimony. However, no honest believer will fail to acknowledge too many occasions when our deeds, words, attitudes, and demeanor have reflected poorly upon the Lord Jesus. Keeping the focus on the Savior and His grace revealed to all - including and especially ourselves - enables us to find and maintain the proper perspective, and enables us to obey the plainly stated will of God…

"And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching."

(Hebrews 10:24-25)

"Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments, as the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life forevermore."

(Psalm 133:1-3)

Weekly Memory Verse

For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.

Tuesday, June 20, 2017

God spoke and creation sprang forth from His word. "Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear" (Hebrews 11:3).

God speaks, and creation continues to be. "His Son… upholding all things by the word of His power" (Hebrews 1:2; 3).

These truths being true, is it possible that God, by His word, can keep our hearts in peace? Absolutely. "This is my comfort in my affliction, forThy word hath quickened me" (Psalm 119:50). The fact of the matter is that nothing can happen in our lives beyond God's ability to still the waters of our spirits, regardless of the nature and measure of our challenges. We will be tempted often, of course, and the possibility of succumbing to fear will be with us throughout our earthly lives. Never, however, is it inevitable or necessary that we must fail to avail ourselves of the "peace of God, which passeth all understanding," as known by the Word of God, which surpasses all trial and tribulation (Philippians 4:7).

"But what if this happens? Or what if that frightful prospect actually takes place?" We can all imagine, or rather, our spiritual enemies can tempt us with scenarios that would seem beyond our capacity for faith. Let's go ahead and settle this matter right now - they are beyond our capacity for faith. Thankfully, our faith is not the main issue. By definition, trusting the Lord Jesus Christ primarily involves His capacity for faithfulness. His trustworthiness and the truth of His word must rather serve as the lens by how we view the "what ifs?" of the future. Thus, if thoughts of frightful prospects come to mind, we do not wonder about ourselves and whether we will rise to the occasion. "Will the Lord Jesus rise to the occasion? Will His word prove yet again to be true?" These are the questions of primary import and significance. Considering that He arose from the dead, as foretold and faithfully reported by Scripture, confirms that our Savior will indeed be everything we need Him to be in every scenario of life. Moreover, His quickening word will guide and strengthen us, as empowered and applied to our hearts and minds by the mutually quickening Holy Spirit.

Since it is not inevitable that we will trust our Lord in trouble, we do well to avail ourselves of His preparation for trials to come. Hiding the Word of God in our hearts and minds serves to ready us for those times when we will need to access our Lord's power to overcome. The same Divine declaration that created and sustains an unspeakably vast and complex universe offers us a light in the darkness, and illuminating power to walk through the darkness in peace. Since we know trouble is coming in some form or measure, we do well to ready ourselves for the faith whereby God's grace enables us to overcome. Or, as the Apostle Paul declared of such vital preparation…

"Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God."

(Romans 10:17)

Weekly Memory Verse

For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.

Monday, June 19, 2017

(Thanks for inspiration on this one to Frances. Come to think of it, thanks for inspiration on all of them to Frances!)

"Life or Stuff?"

As my wife Frances says, "Life is about God and people. Everything else is just stuff."

"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength. This is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself" (Mark 12:30-31).

Frances does not suggest that "stuff" is not important. We must navigate earthly seas and negotiate the everyday paths of our present life. The Lord's parable in the Gospel of Luke finds the master commanding his steward/servants to "Occupy (attend to business) til I come" (Luke 19:13). Believers do not merely wander around with our head in the clouds. We do, however, seek to keep our hearts in Heaven by viewing everything in life as the holy means whereby the love of God serves as the Life of our lives. "To live is Christ" declared the Apostle Paul (Philippians 1:21). To better know our Father's love, to respond in love toward Him, and then to experience His love springing forth from our hearts unto others - this is life, this is essence, this is the only fulfillment for which our hearts were made: "He that believeth on Me as the Scripture hath said, out of His belly shall flow rivers of living water" (John 7:38).

God means for us to enjoy the blessed stuff, face the challenging stuff with faith and courage, and deal with the everyday stuff in the context of His blessed reality. All the while, however, we remember Frances's wise counsel that it is all just stuff in comparison to our heart's peace, joy, and contentment. Only One is worthy to inhabit the throne that exists in our spirits. Christ only, Christ always, Christ forever - this is the anthem of our innermost depths created by God for the Spirit of His Son. Until He dwells there, we have no hope of peace. Until we know He dwells there, we will have little experience of peace. And unless we grow in the assurance of "Christ in you, the hope of glory," our awareness of God's peace will ebb and flow far more than necessary (Colossians 1:27). Stuff is not life. This includes things, possessions, places, health, opportunity, career, pleasures, and anything that is not the love of Christ received, assimilated, and expressed. We must build the altar within our hearts whereupon we sacrifice any and everything that contradicts the truth of Christ alone as the Life of our lives. "I am… the life" proclaimed the Lord Jesus (John 14:6). He proclaims the same to us. To love God and people in response to Christ's love for us, in us, and by us - this is essence, this is truth, and this is life. Nothing more, nothing less, nothing else. As a wise woman says, "Everything else is just stuff."

Saturday, June 17, 2017

(Friends: Most Saturdays for the duration of this year, I plan on sharing a message that relates to the character and nature of God, and our response thereunto. I hope you will find it helpful, and as always, thanks for allowing us to send the devotionals to you. Glen).

The Saturday Series - 19

"Family"

(For Bembe and Brittany, whose family begins today)

Our human families reflect the nature of our Creator, Sustainer and Redeemer. The Bible declares that "there is one God" (I Timothy 2:5). It also teaches that three distinct Personalities exist in the oneness of Divinity.

God exists as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, three sublime Persons so intrinsically united in nature, character, and being that "They" are one (the Bible uses individual and plural pronouns in referencing God - Genesis 1:26; 3:22). Herein lies the reference to family, involving a unity in plurality, and a plurality in unity. Our own experience tells us that individuals can be so bound in heart that oneness is easily the best way to describe the loving union. The love of husband and wife, parents and children, and sibling with sibling united in the bond of family reveals that unity and plurality can be mutually inclusive rather than exclusive.

We need little understanding or explanation for such glory. Some realities we know in ways so sublimely beautiful that no description is possible. I recall an evening with our family many years ago, when our children were very young. We sat around a table at a favorite restaurant. The banter was lively, with much laughter and enjoyment. For a brief moment, I sat back to gaze upon and listen to the four people so dear to my heart. I cannot explain or describe that moment, but deep within my depths, I knew then (and I still know) that God gave me a glimpse of something so beautiful that tears formed in my eyes (they're forming again as I write this!). The "something" concerned my own family, no doubt. I realized the amazing gift I had been given. However, I also believe that the glimpse involved more. It referenced God Himself, and a hint at the wonder of His triune heart and being of love, affection, and devotion between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

I came away from the moment believing we do no violence to Truth by considering God with reference to family. He is one and yet He is three; He is three and yet He is one. The Bible proclaims the enigma, and the God of the Bible provides the most definitive and influential aspect of our lives - family - as a window into who and what He is. Indeed, family is elemental in the existence of humanity because it so reflects the loving union of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

Born again believers in the Lord Jesus are now part of this "whole family in Heaven and earth" (Ephesians 3:15). We are adopted sons and daughters, of course, and will never become God as He exists in His essence. However, we are spiritually united to the Lord Jesus so closely that we are "in Christ," our Heavenly Father having drawn us as near to Himself as created beings can be. Our Savior prayed for our entree into such glory, and then died and rose again to make Heaven our eternal home not only in place, but also in personal kinship to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Yes, in Christ, we are family.

"Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on Me through their word; that they all may be one; as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be one in us."

(John 17:20-21)

Weekly Memory Verse

For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.

Friday, June 16, 2017

A wedding song I wrote years ago for friends, who I am confident won't mind if I send it along as a celebratory affirmation for Bembe and Brittany, dear friends who will marry this Saturday.

Sometimes it seems so long ago

that I felt so alone,

and I thought that my path

would be traveled as one.

But then I looked into your eyes

and saw the sweetest surprise,

that God had made someone for me,

He had made you for me.

For as I ran the holy race,

looking into His face,

I felt a warmth by my side,

you were there stride for stride.

And so I took your heart in mine,

as one we walked toward His light,

and I give thanks and bow my knees,

that God made you for me.

My love, I love that you and I

will share the grace of His life.

Our home will be where'ere He leads,

His face together we'll seek.

And as the years flow ever on,

we'll hear more clearly His song,

and I will raise my voice to sing

that God made you for me.

For as the years flow ever on,

we'll hear more clearly His song,

and I will raise my voice to sing

that God made you for me.

"For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband."

(Ephesians 5:31-33)

Weekly Memory Verse

For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.

Thursday, June 15, 2017

Our memory verse for the week spotlights the fundamental spiritual and moral difference between God and ourselves, thus revealing our need for the grace and mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ.

"For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life" (Romans 5:10).

The perfection of God's unselfish character means that He loves not only those who love Him, but also those who do not. This includes those whose sins made necessary the nailing of His beloved Son to a cross. Prophetically, the Lord Jesus Christ even referred to those who slew Him in terms of friendship: "And One shall say unto Him, What are these wounds in Thine hands? Then He shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of My friends" (Zechariah 13:6). This quality of Divine love transcends our highest contemplation and deepest imagining of goodness, particularly because we know ourselves to be so incapable of such sublime character and self sacrifice.

However, God calls us and requires us to be like Him in order to find His acceptance and favor.

"Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you, that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? Do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? Do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect" (Matthew 5:43-48).

Few passages of Scripture more cast us to our knees and faces in futility. The Divine perfection our Lord references, and to which He calls us, involves loving enemies. We are in trouble if we cannot find this quality in our own character, and our own ways. Thus, our need for grace and mercy presents itself to us in stark clarity. If we do not love our enemies, we disobey God and thus become His enemy. Or, in terms of our present and sublime consideration, we become those He loves, and for whom He gave His Son to die. The spiritual and moral Standard slew us. The Standard also slew Him, for our sakes, and made it possible for Him to be our Savior. Thereby we are "accepted in the Beloved" if we trust in the Beloved (Ephesians 1:6). Moreover, the Savior indwells us by His Spirit when we believe, thus beginning the process of conforming us to His own image whereby we become able to love as He loves, including loving our enemies. Our own character, hopelessly short of the Standard? Or the grace and mercy of Christ, who fulfilled the Standard for us, and fulfills the Standard in us? These are the only two options whereby we can attempt to approach the God whose perfection of goodness leads Him to love both friend and foe.

"The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given unto us. For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

(Romans 5:5-8)

Weekly Memory Verse

For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.

Wednesday, June 14, 2017

"Am I a God at hand, saith the LORD, and not a God afar off? Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill Heaven and earth? saith the LORD" (Jeremiah 23:23-24).

Yes. No. Yes.

The Lord's rhetorical questions about Himself, as recorded by the prophet, tell us much about great and monumental truths that must become far more than rhetorical in our hearts and minds.

First, yes, He is the "God at hand." This does not always seem to be the case, of course, and we presently "walk by faith, not by sight" (II Corinthians 5:7). Nevertheless our Lord constitutes the nearest reality in our lives, to the degree that "in Him we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28). Recall that the Apostle Paul said these words to unbelievers in Athens, adding that "He giveth to all life and breath and all things" (Acts 17:25). Thus, the presence of the God at hand constitutes the great fact of every human being's existence. "At hand" is not enough, however, so He works in all that He might become the God in heart, as provided by the entrance of the Holy Spirit into those who believe in the saving grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. Just as the rhetorical must become reality, so must the Presence with become the Presence within. "Because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying Abba Father" (Galatians 4:6).

Next question: no, we cannot hide in secret places from the gaze of God. "The ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, and He pondereth all his goings" (Proverbs 5:21). Upon first consideration, we should be decidedly discomfited by the Lord's viewing of every atom, moment, thought, and way of our existence. A Being of utter perfection looks upon us. !!!!!! This would be the most disturbing consideration imaginable were it not for the truth that God's gaze is accompanied by grace. A Being of utter love also looks upon us, directing His focus for the purpose of redeeming rather than rejecting us. Thus, we cannot hide from the gaze, nor do we need to do so. Recognizing that God sees us leads to hope if we come forth from the trees of our futile attempt to hide from Eyes that penetrate for the purpose of exposure and then rescue. "For Thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon Thee" (Psalm 86:5).

Finally, yes, the Lord fills Heaven and earth. He is the God at hand and the God who sees all because He is the God so vast that Solomon declared, "the Heaven of heavens cannot contain Thee!" (I Kings 8:27). This speaks of a spiritual reality beyond our ability to comprehend. Our Lord is not physically present in all things as the pantheists propose or imply by their error. He rather encompasses and inhabits land, sea, air, and space in a manner of truth and reality He calls us to believe, but which He does not seek to explain. We couldn't handle the truth even if He attempted to tell us. "Whither shall I go from Thy spirit? Or whither shall I flee from Thy presence?" asked the Psalmist, who proceeded to answer that Heaven, hell, the sea, and even darkness all serve as the venues for God's universal presence (Psalm 139:7-12). We don't require explanation for the inexplicable omnipresence of the living God. We rather require awareness, acknowledgement, and the affirmation of faith.

Rhetorical questions must lead to reality answers. Truth, challenging as it may be, demands that we embrace its light for the purpose of being changed both internally and externally. The God at hand, the God who sees, and the God who fills all things will execute the work as we respond to His movings upon and within us for the purpose of redeeming us.